41. Ha Mim Sajdah: Revelations Well Expounded

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân, by M.M. Pickthall, at sacred-texts.com

1 Ha. Mim. 2 A revelation from the Beneficent, the Merciful, 3 A Scripture whereof the verses are expounded, a Lecture in Arabic for people who have knowledge, 4 Good tidings and a warning. But most of them turn away so that they hear not. 5 And they say: Our hearts are protected from that unto which thou (O Muhammad) callest us, and in our ears there is a deafness, and between us and thee there is a veil. Act, then. Lo! we also shall be acting. 6 Say (unto them O Muhammad): I am only a mortal like you. It is inspired in me that your God is One God, therefor take the straight path unto Him and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe unto the idolaters, 7 Who give not the poor-due, and who are disbelievers in the Hereafter. 8 Lo! as for those who believe and do good works, for them is a reward enduring. 9 Say (O Muhammad, unto the idolaters): Disbelieve ye verily in Him Who created the earth in two Days, and ascribe ye unto Him rivals ? He (and none else) is the Lord of the Worlds. 10 He placed therein firm hills rising above it, and blessed it and measured therein its sustenance in four Days, alike for (all) who ask; 11 Then turned He to the heaven when it was smoke, and said unto it and unto the earth: Come both of you, willingly or loth. They said: We come, obedient. 12 Then He ordained them seven heavens in two Days and inspired in each heaven its mandate; and We decked the nether heaven with lamps, and rendered it inviolable. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Knower. 13 But if they turn away, then say: I warn you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt (which fell of old upon the tribes) of A'ad and Thamud; 14 When their messengers came unto them from before them and behind them, saying: Worship none but Allah! they said: If our Lord had willed, He surely would have sent down angels (unto us), so lo! we are disbelievers in that wherewith ye have been sent. 15 As for A'ad, they were arrogant in the land without right, and they said: Who is mightier than us in power ? Could they not see that Allah Who created them, He was mightier than them in power ? And they denied Our revelations. 16 Therefor We let loose on them a raging wind in evil days, that We might make them taste the torment of disgrace in the life of the world. And verily the doom of the Hereafter will be more shameful, and they will not be helped. 17 And as for Thamud, We gave them guidance, but they preferred blindness to the guidance, so the bolt of the doom of humiliation overtook them because of what they used to earn. 18 And We delivered those who believed and used to keep their duty to Allah. 19 And (make mention of) the day when the enemies of Allah are gathered unto the Fire, they are driven on 20 Till, when they reach it, their ears and their eyes and their skins testify against them as to what they used to do. 21 And they say unto their skins: Why testify ye against us ? They say: Allah hath given us speech Who giveth speech to all things, and Who created you at the first, and unto Whom ye are returned. 22 Ye did not hide yourselves lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should testify against you, but ye deemed that Allah knew not much of what ye did. 23 That, your thought which ye did think about your Lord, hath ruined you; and ye find yourselves (this day) among the lost. 24 And though they are resigned, yet the Fire is still their home; and if they ask for favour, yet they are not of those unto whom favour can be shown. 25 And We assigned them comrades (in the world), who made their present and their past fairseeming unto them. And the Word concerning nations of the jinn and humankind who passed away before them hath effect for them. Lo! they were ever losers. 26 Those who disbelieve say: Heed not this Qur'an, and drown the hearing of it; haply ye may conquer. 27 But verily We shall cause those who disbelieve to taste an awful doom, and verily We shall requite them the worst of what they used to do. 28 That is the reward of Allah's enemies: the Fire. Therein is their immortal home, payment forasmuch as they denied Our revelations. 29 And those who disbelieve will say: Our Lord! Show us those who beguiled us of the jinn and humankind. We will place them underneath our feet that they may be among the nethermost. 30 Lo! those who say: Our Lord is Allah, and afterward are upright, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not nor grieve, but hear good tidings of the paradise which ye are promised. 31 We are your protecting friends in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. There ye will have (all) that your souls desire, and there ye will have (all) for which ye pray. 32 A gift of welcome from One Forgiving, Merciful. 33 And who is better in speech than him who prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith: Lo! I am of those who are muslims (surrender unto Him). 34 The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend. 35 But none is granted it save those who are steadfast, and none is granted it save the owner of great happiness. 36 And if a whisper from the devil reach thee (O Muhammad) then seek refuge in Allah. Lo! He is the Hearer, the Knower. 37 And of His portents are the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Adore not the sun not the moon; but adore Allah Who created them, if it is in truth Him Whom ye worship. 38 But if they are too proud - still those who are with thy Lord glorify Him night and day, and tire not. 39 And of His portents (is this): that thou seest the earth lowly, but when We send down water thereon it thrilleth and groweth. Lo! He Who quickeneth it is verily the Quickener of the Dead. Lo! He is Able to do all things. 40 Lo! those who distort Our revelations are not hid from Us. Is he who is hurled into the Fire better, or he who cometh secure on the Day of Resurrection ? Do what ye will. Lo! He is Seer of what ye do. 41 Lo! those who disbelieve in the Reminder when it cometh unto them (are guilty), for lo! it is an unassailable Scripture. 42 Falsehood cannot come at it from before it or from behind it. (It is) a revelation from the Wise, the Owner of Praise. 43 Naught is said unto thee (Muhammad) save what was said unto the messengers before thee. Lo! thy Lord is owner of forgiveness, and owner (also) of dire punishment. 44 And if We had appointed it a Lecture in a foreign tongue they would assuredly have said: If only its verses were expounded (so that we might understand) ? What! A foreign tongue and an Arab ? - Say unto them (O Muhammad): For those who believe it is a guidance and a healing; and as for those who disbelieve, there is a deafness in their ears, and it is blindness for them. Such are called to from afar. 45 And We verily gave Moses the Scripture, but there hath been dispute concerning it; and but for a Word that had already gone forth from thy Lord, it would ere now have been judged between them; but lo! they are in hopeless doubt concerning it. 46 Whoso doeth right it is for his soul, and whoso doeth wrong it is against it. And thy Lord is not at all a tyrant to His slaves. 47 Unto Him is referred (all) knowledge of the Hour. And no fruits burst forth from their sheaths, and no female carrieth or bringeth forth but with His knowledge. And on the day when He calleth unto them: Where are now My partners ? they will say: We confess unto Thee, not one of us is a witness (for them). 48 And those to whom they used to cry of old have failed them, and they perceive they have no place of refuge. 49 Man tireth not of praying for good, and if ill toucheth him, then he is disheartened, desperate. 50 And verily, if We cause him to taste mercy after some hurt that hath touched him, he will say: This is my own; and I deem not that the Hour will ever rise, and if I am brought back to my Lord, I surely shall be better off with Him - But We verily shall tell those who disbelieve (all) that they did, and We verily shall make them taste hard punishment. 51 When We show favour unto man, he withdraweth and turneth aside, but when ill toucheth him then he aboundeth in prayer. 52 Bethink you: If it is from Allah and ye reject it - Who is further astray than one who is at open feud (with Allah) ? 53 We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the Truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things ? 54 How! Are they still in doubt about the meeting with their Lord ? Lo! Is not He surrounding all things ?